The invention relates to a cartridge feeder of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,223,589 coassigned to the assignee of this application. In this known arrangement a left and right sprocket wheel support shaft are hollow and have mounted in their interiors coaxially arranged switching shafts with holding and transport couplings. The energy for their stepwise movement can be obtained from the energy released during firing and transmitted via the transport coupling. An alternate drive forms part of the arrangement and includes a slidable gear rack movable transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the weapon and a switching member which is rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the weapon. Both of these members are positively connected to each other so that, by way of rotational movement of the switching member, the transverse movement of the gear rack results. By means of the movement of the gear rack certain elements for positioning corresponding cartridges into the inserted position are transversely pivoted. Simultaneously there results a counter-directional axial movement of the switching shaft for the coupling and uncoupling by the action of the switching member. The holding couplings serve thereby for receiving tensional forces counter to the feed direction. Large masses must be moved along the partially extended switching path in the rotational, transverse and longitudinal direction.